MN Fishing Opener Round 1: Eddy's Jetty, GOMH, Bulldog

Eddy's Jetty at 10 to midnight

12:00-2:40AM Eddy's Jetty
4:45-5:45AM GOMH
6:00-6:30AM Bulldog

Conditions- Clear sky, windy out of the NE perfect for fishing at Eddy's, Cool temps in the low 40's to Upper 30's.

I arrived at Eddy's Jetty a little early because I didn't know what I would find or if I could even fish there.  They had no trespassing signs up when we stopped by on Tuesday and there was still a lot of work that needed to be done.  I talked to someone who works there on the phone who said it would be open, but I wasn't so sure.  Well the no trespassing signs were down, but the piles of docks were still in the same place.  I walked out on the North Jetty all the way to the harbor mouth and decided I would start on the center jetty's North dock.  It's a good thing I brought my long net because I would need it if I caught fish off of that dock.  I got my stuff out and started casting a Havoc Grass Pig, then I realized it wasn't midnight yet, so I held up for the last 3 minutes.  I cast the Pig for 20 minutes with no hits, so I decided to throw a 1/2 oz firetiger Rippin Rap because it would throw into the wind well.  I was just thinking to myself what perfect conditions I had when I ripped the rap and a fish nailed it.

22.5" Firetiger Rippin Rap

  I decided it  looked small enough, so I just grabbed my line and lifted it in.  When it was flopping around on the dock the hook came out.  Lucky I landed it.  I took the pictures then released it back to the lake because it was in the protected slot.  We can only keep one walleye in Mille Lacs this year and it has to be between 19 and 21 inches.

I resumed throwing the rap ripping it back.  After about 10 minutes with noting I decided to just do a straight retrieve and one immediately jumped on it.

24.5"

It was a bigger fish so I netted it.  After I released it I had another one on within two minutes using the same retrieve.

This dude went 25.5 and was the biggest of the night.

While I was getting the fish released a boat came into the South harbor with 4 guys in it.  I guess the lake was a little to rough for them.  The forecast said light winds until about 3AM.  But it was blowing pretty good when I got there and was steadily increasing.  The moon had come up now and I tried a few different baits.  Also a couple of those guys went on the North jetty to the harbor mouth, so my casting area shrunk.  It took about 40 minutes for me to hit on something a walleye wanted.

23" X-Rap Shad Shallow

I just lifted this one up as well.  I ended up switching back to the firetiger Rippin Rap and had another eye grab it on a straight retrieve.  I had one of the guys that was working on his boat take a picture for me.

24" Rippin Rap

My last fish of the night just crushed the Shad Shallow when I paused it.

23" X-Rap Shad Shallow

I caught that fish at 2:10AM.  I made the call to wrap it up at 2:40AM.  I think the guys with the boat caught 1 cigar.  I was satisfied with the six I got.  Six hits, six fish landed; It doesn't usually happen that way.

I went home Facebooked and put a report on In Depth Outdoors Forums.

I headed out the door to hit the Grumpy Old Man Hole at about 4:10AM.  The Expedition didn't want to start.  I jumped it off of my boat starting battery.  I was at the GOMH by 4:30.  There were two trucks there and 3 people fishing on the SW side.  They said they had only been there a little while and hadn't gotten anything.  I decided to take the NE side.  Nothing was happening and no activity in the tunnel.  At about 5AM I decided that cold wind blowing in put me in danger of a skunk, so I moved to the SE side.   I had been there about 5 minutes when a guy brought in a keeper golden bullhead.  They then got a couple jumpers.  Three guys came down and crowded me pretty good.  I did get a bite and landed it.

14.5" black/blue craw tube

I decided to pull the plug just as the sunrise was happening.

    I headed to Bulldog and managed to get a hammer handle and a bass.

19" craw tube

14.75" breen Chigger Craw

I headed to Rock Lake at 6:30, but there was one trailer there already and another boat was putting in.  I decided to call it a morning at that point.